Mr Fluffy address list made public

1021 Canberra home addresses confirmed to contain loose-filled asbestos will be placed on a list to be released this week.

‘Mr Fluffy’, a private contracting company, insulated residential and commercial premises, primarily across the ACT, during the ’60s and ’70s by pumping pure, loose-fill asbestos into ceiling spaces.

An Asbestos Removal Taskforce was set up by the ACT Government in 2014 to coordinate the removal of Mr Fluffy from the community, as exposure to airborne asbestos fibres can pose dangerous health risks.

The taskforce has since made 943 offers to buy back affected properties from present owners to be torn down under the $1 billion Voluntary Buyback and Demolition Program.

Their next step has been to make the address list publicly available. The taskforce said on its website: “There is a need as well as a demand for tradespeople, former owners, tenants and service workers to understand potential past exposure from Mr Fluffy Houses.”

The ACT Government’s decision to release the address list has been welcomed by the chief executive officer of the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA), Suresh Manickam.

“We thank the ACT Government for listening to our concerns to ensure that a list of affected homes is released,” Manickam said.

“NECA has actively lobbied the ACT Government to ensure a proper resolution for both home owners and electrical contractors that did not compromise personal safety.

“Safety for home owners, contractors and electricians is a fundamental tenet and the releasing of this address list will ensure a greater degree of certainty.”

Manickam said it is estimated that up to 30,000 residents may be affected by the release of the database while calculations have been conducted by the taskforce to estimate the number of residents who lived in the affected homes over the last 50 years.

“With electrical contractors regularly called upon to enter ceiling spaces, underfloor areas or cavity walls, the publishing of this list provides certainty and awareness for electrical contractors prior to entering a work site in the ACT,” added Manickam.

The voluntary buyback program closes at midnight tonight.